Longitudinal study of the relationship between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes in Chinese adult residents: Data from China Health and Nutrition Survey

Background Increasing coffee intake was inversely associated with risk of type 2 diabetes in Western countries. However, in China where coffee consumption and diabetes population has been growing fast in recent years, studies on the impact of coffee intakes on the onset of type 2 diabetes are lacking. This study attempts to determine the associations between coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes in Chinese adults. Methods This longitudinal study analyzed 10447 adults who had participated in at least two rounds of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), which is a survey database of multistage, random cluster process during 1993-2011. Coffee consumption and type 2 diabetes incidence were measured in the survey. Body mass index (BMI), age, sex, place of residence, waves, education level, smoking, drinking alcohol and tea drinking frequency were adjusted as covariate. We used longitudinal fixed effects regression models to assess changes within person. Results After adjusting confounding factors, lower risk of diabetes is observed among Chinese adults who drink coffee occasionally (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 0.13, 95% CI = 0.05, 0.34) and drink almost every day (AOR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.45, 0.83), compared with those who do not or hardly drink. In the subgroup analysis, among women aged 45-59 who drink coffee one to three times a week (AOR = 0.21, 95% CI = 0.08, 0.52) and men over 60 who drink coffee almost every day (AOR = 0.19, 95% CI = 0.07, 0.53), protective effects were found. For young men aged 19-29, drinking coffee almost every day showed a risk effect (AOR = 20.21, 95% CI = 5.96-68.57). Conclusions Coffee drinking habit is an independent protective factor for adult on type 2 diabetes in China. And it varies among people with different ages and genders. The rapid growth of coffee consumption in China in recent years may help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, but at the same time, the risk of type 2 diabetes in adolescents needs attention.